Nederland - Amsterdam, Hofje van Brienen

A Dutch hofje is a complex of almshouses around a central courtyard. They were built since the Middle Ages as a charity to house needy or elderly men and women. Amsterdam still has about 30 hofjes; most of them can be found in or around the Jordaan neighbourhood.

Hofje van Brienen - or officially Het Brienens Gesticht de Star, was founded by Arnoud Jan van Brienen and his wife Sophia Maria Half-Wassenaar. In 1797 they commissioned the city architect of Amsterdam to design this hofje and to build it on the former location of beer brewery De Star. The aim was to provide housing for impoverished Roman Catholic men. Eventually the courtyard was built in 1803 and it was not until 1806 that the first inhabitants moved in.

Hofje van Brienen was completely renovated in 1997 and comprises 26 residential units. Nowadays they are inhabited by both married as unmarried, catholic and non-catholic inhabitants above the age of 45 years with a low income.

The hofje, being a hidden gem full with flowering and evergreen plants, can be visited for free.